Residents of a Surrey apartment building that’s fallen into an appalling state of disrepair are calling for a crackdown on bad landlords.
Tenants rallied outside the building at 104 Avenue and 140 Street Tuesday to draw attention to a host of problems they complain have been ignored for months.
“Management just seems to either ignore us, flog us, flag us off [or] hang up on us,” resident Ray Griffin told CTV News.
One of those problems is a broken elevator, which has been out of commission since a fire in May. Emma Mondilla, a third-floor resident who had surgery on both her knees last year, said the lack of an elevator has made getting in and out of the building a nightmare.
“After dialysis I’m so weak and using the stairs is really hell,” Mondilla said.
Tony Bouwman has also struggled. The 63-year-old has balance issues after suffering a stroke, and told CTV News he’s fallen down twice since he was forced to start taking the stairs.
“It’s ridiculous. They seem to think that telling me it costs $60,000 to fix is enough of an excuse,” Bouwman said.
A quick survey of the property also revealed loose stair railings, railings that are missing altogether, and mouse traps.
The building is managed by Royal Providence Management, whose most recent annual report lists Lorenzo Aquilini as president and Bianca Aquilini as secretary.
No one from the company would speak to CTV News on Tuesday.
Tenants said they’ve complained to the management company and made repeated calls to the City of Surrey, but can’t find anyone who will help them.
The business operations manager for Surrey said she has no record of complaints being filed, but promised potential bylaw issues at the property will be investigated.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro
